Lawyers want all cases shifted to Pune

PUNE: The Central Bureau of Investigation''s (CBI) suggestion that all cases relating to the multi-crore rupee stamp paper scam and the alleged kingpin in the scam, Abdul Karim Telgi, be shifted to Pune has been welcomed by lawyers handling the cases.
A top CBI lawyer said agency officials were finding it increasingly difficult to move Telgi around for hearings.
"Requests for his custody are coming almost every day from police officials in Mumbai, Thane, Nasik and other places," the lawyer said.
"On one occasion, he was handed over to the Mumbai police, only to be taken back because of security reasons," he said. Even the custody of the other accused in the case has been sought by investigating agencies in the state."
Pune has been at the centre of investigations into the scam, after the case was registered at the Bund Garden police station in June 2002.
The lawyer said that transferring the cases to the city would save manpower and transportation costs. The security issue would also be taken care of if the trial were conducted at the Yerwada central prison via video conferencing, he added.
He pointed out that recently, there was an uproar in the city special court, as the accused had to be brought handcuffed due to security reasons, despite the supreme court''s order against the use of handcuffs. The lawyer said that there were incidents of the accused being given food by their relatives in the court premises. He said these things could be avoided if video conferencing is introduced. He added that BSNL would provide state-of-the-art technology for the purpose.
Defence counsel Harshad Nimbalkar, who represents Telgi in the case filed in Pune, welcomed the suggestion to bring all the accused and witnesses to one place.
"It will be convenient for all, since only the investigating officials have to move their base to the city," he said. Expressing reservations about the video conferencing, he said that sometimes the lawyers need to consult the accused in private.